For a number of reasons, James seemed to be a magnet for controversies during his campaign for Stabenow’s seat, not least of which because his campaign commercial prominently featured a swastika. The TV ad, titled “Ready to Serve,” featured a shot of a hallway where a swastika was affixed to a bulletin board. While James said it was an accident, it’s no secret that many Republicans have become increasingly accepting of white nationalists and Neo-Nazis.

The Black Republican also, oddly, accepted campaign donations from a PAC linked to white supremacists. The U.S. Immigration Reform PAC’s founder, Mary Lou Tanton, has worked with the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an organization identified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. One of the group’s main goals is limiting "immigration mostly to northern Europeans," according to the SPLC.

Mary Lou Tanton is also married to John Tanton, who was identified as a right-wing extremist by the SPLC. In 1986, Tanton was quoted as saying, "As whites see their power and control over their lives declining, will they simply go quietly into the night? Or will there be an explosion?"

Following James’ loss in the initial Senate race against Stabenow, James was considered for U.N. ambassador after Nikki Haley resigned. James had no apparent diplomatic experience and was eventually passed over for that role. Instead, Trump nominated State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert for the post, who shortly after withdrew herself from consideration.

Trump again considered James for the U.N. ambassador role in 2019, according to The Detroit News — but the president ultimately selected Kelly Knight Craft, ambassador to Canada, for the role.
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